Anthony Explained

Anthony
Pronunciation:,
Language:English
Language origin:Latin, possibly from Etruscan
Origin:Antonius
Petname:Ant, Anton, Antonino, Nino, Toni, Tony, Tone, Toño
Gender:Male

Anthony, also spelled Antony, is a masculine given name derived from the Antonii, a gens (Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius) belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, a son of Heracles.[1] Anthony is an English name that is in use in many countries.[2] It has been among the top 100 most popular male baby names in the United States since the late 19th century and has been among the top 100 male baby names between 1998 and 2018 in many countries including Canada, Australia, England, Ireland and Scotland.[3]

Equivalents include Antonio in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Maltese; Αντώνιος in Greek; António or Antônio in Portuguese; Antoni in Catalan, Polish, and Slovene; Anton in Dutch, Galician, German, Icelandic, Romanian, Russian, and Scandinavian languages; Antoine in French; Antal in Hungarian; and Antun or Ante in Croatian. The usual abbreviated form is Tony or Toni (sometimes Tone, Ant, Anth or Anton). Its use as a Christian name was due to the veneration of Saint Anthony the Great, the founder of Christian monasticism, particularly in Egypt. Also significant was the later cult of Saint Anthony of Padua.

In the United States, it was the 43rd most popular male name in 2021, according to the Social Security Administration.[4] When the background is Italian, Nino or Toni, shortened from Antonino, are used. Its popularity in the United Kingdom peaked during the 1940s; in 1944 it was the sixth most popular male name and was still as high as 14th in 1964.[5]

Spelling and pronunciation

The name was historically spelled Antony, as in William Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra. In the 17th century, the letter "h" was inserted into the spelling on the belief that the name derived from the Greek word ἄνθος (anthos), meaning "flower".[6] [7] In Britain, the historical pronunciation predominates for both spellings, while in the United States the spelling pronunciation is more common when the "Anthony" spelling is used.[8]

Translations and variants

People

Fictional characters

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Plutarch . Antony . He had also a noble dignity of form; and a shapely beard, a broad forehead, and an aquiline nose were thought to show the virile qualities peculiar to the portraits and statues of Heracles. Moreover, there was an ancient tradition that the Antonii were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, a son of Heracles..
  2. Web site: Anthony. Name-doctor.com. September 10, 2019.
  3. Web site: Anthony. March 12, 2022. Thinkbabynames.com.
  4. Web site: Popular Baby Names . Ssa.gov . 2021-11-27.
  5. Web site: Anthony - Meaning And Origin Of The Name Anthony . BabyNames.co.uk . 2015-06-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150302134141/http://www.babynames.co.uk/meaning_origin_name_Anthony.htm . 2015-03-02 . dead .
  6. Withycombe, E. G. (1950) The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names; 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press; pp. 26-27
  7. Web site: Mike . Campbell . Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Anthony . Behindthename.com . 2015-06-20.
  8. Book: Wells , John C. . Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Longman. Harlow, England. 1990. 0-582-05383-8. 30. entry "Anthony"

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Anthony".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.